CENTRAL REMEDIAL CLINIC
School Details
About
The Central Remedial Clinic (CRC) School is a special national school that provides a holistic, interdisciplinary education for children and young people with multiple disabilities, where physical impairment is the primary need. The curriculum is designed to develop pupils academically, socially, physically, emotionally and spiritually, and it is delivered alongside extensive therapeutic support including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and nursing care. Assistive technology is integrated throughout the learning environment to enable access to the curriculum and promote independence. The school’s facilities have been purpose‑built for accessibility and sensory development. Recent extensions include three specially adapted post‑primary classrooms, specialist rooms for independent‑living skills, art, craft, science and music, and a multi‑sensory room. All school buses are wheelchair‑accessible, and the campus is fully compliant with accessibility standards, ensuring safe and inclusive participation for pupils with complex medical needs. A strong community ethos underpins daily life at CRC, with collaboration between staff, families, the wider CRC Clinic services and external partners such as the Department of Education & Science. This collaborative approach ensures that each pupil receives personalised support and the opportunity to achieve their full potential in a nurturing environment.
History
The Central Remedial Clinic was founded in 1951 by Lady Valerie Goulding and Miss Kathleen O'Rourke to provide physiotherapy for victims of the Dublin polio epidemic, initially operating from a two‑room flat in Pembroke Street. In October 1956 a special national school was established under the Department of Education with one teacher and fourteen pupils. Throughout the 1960s the school expanded its catchment to north Dublin, admitted children with cerebral palsy and spina bifida, and moved to its present Clontarf location, increasing staff to three teachers. The 1980s saw the historic sanctioning of on‑site psychologists, speech and occupational therapists, and a nursing unit, recognising the need for an interdisciplinary approach. Between 2000 and 2003 a wheelchair‑accessible school transport system was introduced, and in 2005 a major extension added adapted classrooms, specialist rooms for independent living, art, craft, science, music and a multi‑sensory room.